Certain image processing devices including certain copiers and printers have a function to modify image data on the fly. For example, Japanese Patent Publication Hei 11-122477 discloses an image formation device that modifies the image data. The disclosed image formation device scans an image on an original to generate image data and removes a specified portion of the image data. Japanese Patent Publication Hei 11-122477 further discloses that a user reviews a specified portion of the scanned image data while he or she selects the width of the portion to be removed.
In the recent image processing such as copying, the image is not limited to print outs and includes image data in electronic forms. In addition to the above image data, the image processing is required to process a large amount of data in a short period of time in an efficient manner. Incidentally, the large volume image data is outputted in a plurality of pages in a hard copy or in a plurality of screen pages in an electronic copy. In the current application, the term, page is used to refer to a hard copy page as well as a screen page.
In processing the above described plurality of pages using conventional image forming devices, each page is displayed, and a portion of each page is specified for removal. For this reason, in the above described conventional image processing device or method, as the amount of image data increases, the amount of processing also increases for an operator. Thus, it remains desirable to provide a method of, a computer program of and a system for image processing a large amount of image data in a short period of time to increase the image processing efficiency.